News / National
Woman travels 300km to commit suicide
05 Sep 2015 at 18:54hrs | Views
A NYANYADZI woman (35) who is alleged to have been wronged by her husband did the unthinkable by travelling for than 300km from Harare to commit suicide in a neighbour's house in the farming community.
Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Tavhiringwa Kakohwa, confirmed the death of Joyleen Munhutu of Dirikwe Village under Chief Muusha in Chimanimani by suicide and said no foul play was suspected.
The incident happened at Mutenda homestead in the same village.
He urged members of the public to seek professional counseling whenever they have disputes than resorting to taking their lives.
Insp Kakohwa said: "Emily Mutenda (37) and her mother, Ester Mutenda (79) on August 2 left their homestead to visit a relative who was not feeling well.
"On an unknown date, Munhutu travelled from Harare where she was staying with her husband and entered one of the loosely secured doors at Mutenda homestead and locked the door from inside.
"She consumed an unknown pesticide and died in the house.
"On August 27, Emily and Ester returned from Gweru, but did not realise that there was a dead person in one of their houses. After two days, Emily smelled a bad odour emanating from one of their houses when she was sweeping the yard early in the morning. She peeped through the window and saw Munhutu's body lying on the floor.
"They reported the matter to the police who attended the scene. They discovered that five bottles of different poisonous chemicals were beside her body," said Insp Kakohwa.
However, in an interview with Munhutu's brother, Mr John Munhutu, he said his sister committed suicide after failing to stomach her husband, George Mahata and his relatives' alleged abuse.
He said the abuses had been going on for more than a year at their matrimonial home in Harare.
"Joyleen wrote a suicidal note addressed to me, her husband and sister telling us that she had decided to take her life because she could not bear her husband's threats and brutality anyone since he started staying with another wife in August 2014," he said.
"My sister came to me a month ago and told me that her husband had abandoned her and their four kids for another wife in August 2014. Since then, up to August this year, my sister had been struggling to take care of the children alone, but I advised her that she can come back home since her husband had turned his back on them.
"She, however, wrote in the suicidal letters that she could not bear the repeated threats and insults from her husband and his relatives recently when one of her children was burnt by boiling water on the stomach.
"Unfortunately when we saw the letters, she was nowhere to be found and her phone was no longer reachable. She had already left the children with her sister and nobody knew that she had travelled to Nyanyadzi and committed suicide," said an emotional Mr Munhutu.
Mahata could not be reached for a comment at the time of going to Press, but a source told The Manica Post that he had to seek police escort to attend Joyleen's funeral in Nyanyadzi fearing an attack from her family members.
Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Tavhiringwa Kakohwa, confirmed the death of Joyleen Munhutu of Dirikwe Village under Chief Muusha in Chimanimani by suicide and said no foul play was suspected.
The incident happened at Mutenda homestead in the same village.
He urged members of the public to seek professional counseling whenever they have disputes than resorting to taking their lives.
Insp Kakohwa said: "Emily Mutenda (37) and her mother, Ester Mutenda (79) on August 2 left their homestead to visit a relative who was not feeling well.
"On an unknown date, Munhutu travelled from Harare where she was staying with her husband and entered one of the loosely secured doors at Mutenda homestead and locked the door from inside.
"She consumed an unknown pesticide and died in the house.
"On August 27, Emily and Ester returned from Gweru, but did not realise that there was a dead person in one of their houses. After two days, Emily smelled a bad odour emanating from one of their houses when she was sweeping the yard early in the morning. She peeped through the window and saw Munhutu's body lying on the floor.
"They reported the matter to the police who attended the scene. They discovered that five bottles of different poisonous chemicals were beside her body," said Insp Kakohwa.
However, in an interview with Munhutu's brother, Mr John Munhutu, he said his sister committed suicide after failing to stomach her husband, George Mahata and his relatives' alleged abuse.
He said the abuses had been going on for more than a year at their matrimonial home in Harare.
"Joyleen wrote a suicidal note addressed to me, her husband and sister telling us that she had decided to take her life because she could not bear her husband's threats and brutality anyone since he started staying with another wife in August 2014," he said.
"My sister came to me a month ago and told me that her husband had abandoned her and their four kids for another wife in August 2014. Since then, up to August this year, my sister had been struggling to take care of the children alone, but I advised her that she can come back home since her husband had turned his back on them.
"She, however, wrote in the suicidal letters that she could not bear the repeated threats and insults from her husband and his relatives recently when one of her children was burnt by boiling water on the stomach.
"Unfortunately when we saw the letters, she was nowhere to be found and her phone was no longer reachable. She had already left the children with her sister and nobody knew that she had travelled to Nyanyadzi and committed suicide," said an emotional Mr Munhutu.
Mahata could not be reached for a comment at the time of going to Press, but a source told The Manica Post that he had to seek police escort to attend Joyleen's funeral in Nyanyadzi fearing an attack from her family members.
Source - manicapost
